Cruise pier vendors to be relocated to Crafts Alive Market
This was disclosed yesterday April 3, 2012 by Minister for Communications and Works Hon. Mark Vanterpool at a meeting with Crafts Alive Market and Cruise Pier vendors at the Moorings Conference Room.
The issue of relocation of those vendors has been a long standing one, however, this is the first time that a somewhat concrete decision has been made regarding their relocation. One of the arguments regarding their current location is that it does not present a good appearance for tourists on arriving at the Road Town port of entry.
Minister Vanterpool himself admitted last evening that cruise operators have complained that their clients are not satisfied with their first impression of Road Town on arriving.
Meanwhile, vendors have been assured that their businesses would in fact be given a boost when the revamping of Crafts Alive Market is done and that the area would be connected to the port in such a way that tourists would view the market as one of the main attractions.“We have a concept that we are going to promote and in fact have begun promoting to the cruise ship operators to let them know that we are going to have a centre in the middle of town that will be done in such a way that it will attract a major part of their cruise clients and therefore we are going to do it in such a way that it connects the cruise ship port directly with the Crafts Alive activity and beyond," Hon. Vanterpool said.
Some 39 new spaces would be created that would accommodate especially those vendors currently operating in the vicinity of the cruise ship pier.
The project is in keeping with Government’s plans to improve the appearance of Road Town and create an easily accessible and central shopping centre for tourists. Hon. Vanterpool also said the Crafts Alive Market when revamped, could also be utilised by locals especially when the tourists are not around.
The Crafts Alive Market currently consists of 4 buildings, 23 vending spaces and rest room facilities, however, the revamping of the area would see some 5 new buildings added, 5 additions to existing buildings, 39 new vendor spaces created, additional rest rooms, an amphitheatre with stage for cultural performances and an exhibition area for fishermen, who would be engaged in displaying how fishes and lobsters are caught among other traditional fishing methods.
According to architect Aveline Potter, who has designed the new layout for Crafts Alive, the focus of the site design is to provide a pleasant pedestrian shopping environment; make provisions for transitory and gathering space in order to facilitate reasonable crowd; and provide an outdoor amphitheatre to facilitate band performances and cultural presentations.
She further said the new design would be in such a way that it would lure shoppers to the centre and noted that the revitalization of the market creates an opportunity to fix the current problem of not taking full advantage of location of business.
Hon. Vanterpool told the vendors, who were crammed into the Moorings Conference Room, that the revitalized Crafts Alive Village will be ready by late August or September and that October would be the test month before the tourist season opens the following month. He noted too that the project would be a heavy investment for Government and hopes that the vendors would also do their part in making sure their products are able to adequately sell the Virgin Islands.
It was also said that some vendors currently operating at Crafts Alive would have to be out of business for a couple of weeks as construction is done, however, this would be in the off season.
Regarding the new tenants, Hon. Vanterpool said priority would be given to those vendors currently operating at the cruise pier and who are holders of trade licenses.
One vendor wanted to know if they would be able to return to the cruise pier once development there takes place, however, she was told that area would be for a different kind of business.
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